How Do I Register to Vote?

If you have a California driver license or identification card number, you can authorize use of that signature for the registration form. Fill out the online application and simply hit “submit” at the end.

If there is no signature on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles, you will need to:

Enter your date of birth and last four digits of your social security number.

Click “print.”

Sign the paper application.

Mail it to the address provided.

No printer? Go ahead and click “I don’t have the ability to print” and your county elections official will mail you a form to sign and return.

You can mail in a completed Voter Registration Card

Voter Registration Cards are available at:

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office, located in the Alameda County Courthouse (map)

All offices of the DMV, all city clerks offices, public libraries, and post offices

You may request that a Voter Registration Card be mailed to you by calling the Alameda County Registrar of Voters at (510) 272-6933 or the California Secretary of State at 1 (916) 657-2166.

You can register in-person at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters' office in Oakland, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland, CA 94612 - or at a community event that the Alameda County Registrar of Voters attends.

As of April 2018, eligible California Voters completing drivers license or identification (ID) card or change of address transactions will be automatically registered to vote (unless they choose to opt out). More information available here.

If you indicate that you are eligible to vote, once you complete your DMV transaction online, by mail, or in person, your voter information is transmitted securely and electronically to the California Secretary of State. Once your eligibility to vote is determined, you will be registered to vote.

Note that individuals with AB 60 driver's licenses are not eligible to participate in the California Motor Voter program and are not eligible to vote.

How Do I Update My Voter Registration?

You can update your voter registration if you have moved recently or wish to change your party preference. To do this you will need to complete a new voter registration form (see above) 15 days prior to the election you wish to vote in.

What Happens After I Submit My Voter Registration Card?

Submit your voter registration by the October 2018 application deadline for the November 6, 2018 election. When the Registrar of Voters receives your voter registration card, they enter the information, including the image of your signature into their voter database. Then your registration information is sent to the Secretary of State which verifies it against the DMV or Social Security records. This comparison currently takes 5 business days. If the comparison is successful, the State notifies the Registrar of Voters that you are eligible to vote. If the voter registration form is incomplete, the Registrar of Voters will send you a notice about the required missing information and ask you to provide it.